Top of the podcasts

Where Should We Begin? Gimlet, Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Valentine’s Day might be a confection as flimsy as the average glittery, love heart-laden card sent through the post this week, but love and relationships are very real.

And the issues which come up in a relationship, as anyone who has ever been in one, are myriad.

We can’t peer into what goes on in the lives of couples we know.which is a shame for the nosey among us.

Yet you can get a glimpse into real romantic and relationship quandaries thanks to an excellent podcast called Where Should We Begin.

Couples therapy is increasingly popular; perhaps people realise the path to true love isn’t as smooth as classic, idealised romances might often portray.

Happily ever after takes hard work and communication, at least it does if you listen to Esther Perel.

Where Should We Begin? is presented by therapist Esther as she counsels real couples revealing the most intimate, personal, and complicated details of the conflicts which have brought them to her.

In the latest series, she takes on open marriage, racism inside an extended family, coming out in a religious home, and chronic infidelity, among other delicate topics.

And you thought your partner leaving their stinky socks by the bed was a thorny issue.

Esther gently explains a lot of problems in relationships come from the conflicting needs of security on one hand and freedom on the other.

The podcast is a glimpse into couples’ private lives, says Esther, but in reality, it is more like a mirror.

“The intimacy of it,” she explained.“the private listening of it, the fact that you don’t see them, thus you see yourself.you hear them but you see you. It reflects you in the mirror.”